One of social media's many unexpected applications lies in what might be called "communal wellness," in which groups of people with shared medical conditions or concerns come together to lend each
other mutual support, advice, and encouragement. This week brought news that social media may be able to help prevent two related conditions whose spread in the U.S. is setting off alarm bells --
diabetes and obesity. ...Read the whole story

Friskies is launching an app that allows people to see themselves in cat form using cat photo templates and quirky captions. The app, called "Catify Yourself," allows users to choose a cat background template (including holiday-themed options) featuring a cat in a playful pose, and then add their own photo or a photo of a friend or family member. ...Read the whole story

A day after unveiling an upgrade to Yahoo Mail, Yahoo on Wednesday released an updated version of its Flickr iPhone app aimed at restoring its place in the photo-sharing space now dominated by properties like Instagram and Facebook. ...Read the whole story

The popular country act has teamed with Gameloft to appear in "Oregon Trail: American Settler." In the new content, band members will appear as in-game quest givers, in which they challenge gamers to build a brand new concert hall in their frontier cities. ...Read the whole story

Created in partnership with Ubisoft, the game invites players to build their own toy store, where they can create a science toy department or add a Ferris wheel. Players progress through seven levels, amass the game's currency, and eventually become CEO. ...Read the whole story

Around The Net

Going by the most tweets per second, they were Olympics: David Cameron, Samantha Cameron and Boris Johnson dancing together at the Olympic closing ceremony (Sunday, August 12); Euro 2012: England vs Italy, England lose on penalties (Sunday, June 24); X Factor: James Arthur and Ella Henderson in bottom two, Ella voted off (Sunday, November 18); Olympics: Bolt wins the Men's 100 Meters Olympic final (Sunday August 5). ...Read the whole story

So, is Storyboard -- Tumblr’s behind-the-scenes look at various users and their personal stories -- journalism or marketing? There’s some debate among industry insiders. Setting the record straight, Joe Pompeo writes in Capital New York: “It certainly is next-generation marketing.” Yes, Tumblr is “creating content that speaks to the value of [its brand].” There you have it. ...Read the whole story

According to a recent study by Scarborough, Millennials, Americans age 18 to 29, are 53% more likely than all U.S. adults to feel that social media sites are very important for finding information about news and ...More